Update . . .

We met with the doctor yesterday morning for a treatment plan for my son. Here's the scenario. My son's doctor is this little, bald pakistany man. He is quite brilliant and has a fantastic reputation in our city in psychiatry. My husband and I are in the little room with clinicians, nurses, the teacher from the hospital, the family therapist etc The doctor told us that he thinks he has a new label for Dustin. In addition to his Festal Alcohol Syndrome, he believes that Dustin has Pervasice Developmental Disorder that is an autism spectrum disorder. Then he says in his pakinstany accent, "Dustin also has very strange brain chemistry that has no name." We all laughed. I said that I didn't much care if there was a label but simply would like the issues dealt with. He agreed. We told the team that we had very realistic expectations for Dustin and knew that he would never be a high functioning "NORMAL" child, for lack of a better word. He said "It is ok to be realistic, but I would like you to be ambitious." That totally hit the nail on the head for us! That is how we approach Dustin on a daily basis. They told us he would never read, do math, count change, or have many self-help skills. All of which he is accomplishing now. We never held Dustin to expectations, but we have always been realistic with what can be accomplioshed as far as behavior.

The doctor continued talking and I asked about length of stay. He promised me that he would lik to see three good days in the hospital before sending him home. He encouraged us that he believed we could get Dustin to a higher level of functioning now that we have seen his true issues completely off of medication. Then he said, "I think you deserve at least that, and so does Dustin. Your family has been turned upside down by this for too long."

I wanted to jump up and kiss his little bald head, but I though they may hospitalize me!

What a relief that finally someone has seen first hand what we go througgh on a daily basis and the "demons" that Dustin struggles with. Praise God for his wisdom. I finally feel at peace that we have made the right decision hospitalizing Dustin and getting him the proper help.